General Surgery ACGME case minimums
Residents in General Surgery have a published ACGME minimum in all 39 case categories, and the largest single minimum is 850. Each row below cites the ACGME requirement it was read from.
By Chris, CA-1, anesthesiology
General Surgery minimums by category
| Category | SC = Surgeon Chief | TA = Teaching Assistant | Surgeon | Surgeon or first assistant | In defined categories endoscopies or ecodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin, Soft Tissue | — | — | 25 | — | — |
| Breast | — | — | 40 | — | — |
| Mastectomy | — | — | 5 | — | — |
| Axilla | — | — | 5 | — | — |
| Head and Neck | — | — | 25 | — | — |
| Alimentary Tract | — | — | 180 | — | — |
| Esophagus | — | — | 5 | — | — |
| Stomach | — | — | 15 | — | — |
| Small Intestine | — | — | 25 | — | — |
| Large Intestine | — | — | 40 | — | — |
| Appendix | — | — | 40 | — | — |
| Anorectal | — | — | 20 | — | — |
| Abdominal | — | — | 250 | — | — |
| Biliary | — | — | 85 | — | — |
| Hernia | — | — | 85 | — | — |
| Liver | — | — | 5 | — | — |
| Pancreas | — | — | 5 | — | — |
| Vascular | — | — | 50 | — | — |
| Access | — | — | 10 | — | — |
| Anastomosis, Repair, or Endarterectomy | — | — | 10 | — | — |
| Endocrine | — | — | 15 | — | — |
| Thyroid or Parathyroid | — | — | 10 | — | — |
| Operative Trauma | — | — | 10 | — | — |
| Non-Operative Trauma | — | — | 40 | — | — |
| Resuscitations as Team Leader | — | — | 10 | — | — |
| Thoracic Surgery | — | — | 20 | — | — |
| Thoracotomy | — | — | 5 | — | — |
| Pediatric Surgery | — | — | 20 | — | — |
| Plastic Surgery | — | — | 10 | — | — |
| Surgical Critical Care | — | — | 40 | — | — |
| Laparoscopic Basic | — | — | 100 | — | — |
| Endoscopy | — | — | 85 | — | — |
| Upper Endoscopy | — | — | 35 | — | — |
| Colonoscopy | — | — | 50 | — | — |
| Laparoscopic Complex | — | — | 75 | — | — |
| Total Major Cases | — | — | 850 | — | — |
| Chief Year Major Cases | 200 | — | — | — | — |
| Teaching Assistant Cases | — | 25 | — | — | — |
| Minimum Case Requirements by PGY-3 — Residents must have at least 250 operations prior to starting their PGY-3. | — | — | — | 250 | 200 |
An em-dash means the ACGME publishes no minimum on that row — not a minimum of zero.
General Surgery · ACGME specialty 440.
Capnolog counts these live for anesthesiology and neurological surgery; other specialties are reference only.
What counts toward a minimum?
- Residents log each case by procedure code and by their role in it.
- Each minimum is read in its own column: “SC = Surgeon Chief”, “TA = Teaching Assistant”, “Surgeon”, “Surgeon or first assistant” and “In defined categories endoscopies or ecodes”.
- 22 rows are drawn from a larger row: those cases count toward that row too, never on top of it.
- The Review Committee for Surgery sets these requirements.
Where do these numbers come from?
- Case Log categories and minimum numbers, May 2024
- Case Log guidelines, August 2024
- Program Requirements
Capnolog is independent of the ACGME; where a number here differs from the ACGME's own document, the document is right.